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Over 50 Hatch Graduates Benefit from £265,000 Fund

A woman decorating the flower

In the latest round of the Hatch Fund, we were so pleased to be able to award over £265,000 in grant funding to 59 UK businesses run by underrepresented founders in our graduate community.

The Hatch Fund, financed by our partners including UBS and Pizza Hut, was set up to enable business founders from diverse backgrounds to overcome barriers to growth typically faced by these groups in the startup sector. 

Applications were open to graduates of our last round of programmes, targeting support at women and marginalised genders, disabled people, and those from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Typically only 1% of UK venture capital goes to businesses with all-female teams, and access to finance is a major reason why ethnic minority entrepreneurs stop working on their business idea. 

From floristry businesses all the way to tech for good and community safety initiatives, a wide range of organisations across the UK benefited from the fund with grant amounts of up to £10,000.

What our partners had to say

Emily Curtis, Head of People Operations & Social Purpose, Pizza Hut said: “It brings me immense pride to witness the remarkable journey of the New Founder Programme participants as they receive their well-deserved grants. 

“We take great pride in being a catalyst for visionary business leaders, particularly those hailing from underrepresented backgrounds. We wholeheartedly embrace the magic and belief that propels these aspiring entrepreneurs forward. Their tenacity and innovative spirit resonates with everyone here at Pizza Hut, who plays a role in supporting this transformative programme.”

Sarah Payne, Head of UBS UK Social Impact and Philanthropy, said: “UBS is proud to partner with Hatch Enterprise to support impactful founders from underrepresented backgrounds to launch and grow organisations that will transform lives and communities. 

“We’re delighted to have supported this group of ambitious UK founders with investments into their impact ventures through the Hatch Fund and congratulate them on everything they have already achieved. We look forward to seeing how our support will boost the positive impact they are having and wish them every success as they continue to grow and scale.”

Two women coworking with laptops

This grant fund was administered by Groundwork, a charity focused on building stronger communities.

Graham Duxbury, Chief Executive of Groundwork UK said: “Empowering communities to improve their prospects and have more say over how things get done in their local area is at the heart of what we do at Groundwork.

“As we support communities through an enduring cost of living crisis and seek to green our economy, a programme to help more people from more diverse backgrounds develop enterprises can’t come at a better time.

“We’re pleased to be able to work alongside Hatch Enterprise to help grow the social and circular economy, helping people strengthen their communities and protect the environment.”

Hear from more grantees

We know how hard it is for founders to access capital, even more so if you’re a woman or from an ethnic minority. We started working on the Hatch Fund in 2021–22, bringing together the right people, partners, funders and infrastructure, and are proud of what the fund has achieved to date.

The £265,653 awarded through this round will not only have a direct impact on the founders and businesses to benefit, like those above, it will also have a tangible impact on the communities and sectors that they operate in. 

We’re constantly impressed by the innovation and the passion of the founders who come onto Hatch programmes, and look forward to seeing all that the grant recipients achieve as a result of this extra support.

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